


Small Details, Morty. No One Cares.

by scarscarchurro



Series: Stan's and Rick's guide to Old Age [3]
Category: Gravity Falls, Rick and Morty
Genre: Abandonment, Agender ford, Angst, College age Morty, Depressed themes, M/M, Nudity mentioned but no actual sex, Past Relationship(s), Swearing, Trans Grunkle Stan, Trans Morty, Trans Rick Sanchez, all I write is angst, lots of emotion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-03
Updated: 2017-08-03
Packaged: 2018-12-10 17:49:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11696763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scarscarchurro/pseuds/scarscarchurro
Summary: Morty is home from college for Winter break and walks in on a sour conversation  his Grandfather is having.





	Small Details, Morty. No One Cares.

**Author's Note:**

> A big thank you to Beta19 and others for reading through this and giving me some helpful tips. Enjoy!

Their adventures were always fun. That drunk twinge in a chord on their lives. Their lives? It had been their life together. It had been them, portals, an open road, and sky worth exploring. Every adventure has an end… but this was still their adventure, wasn’t it?  
  
______

The days at the Smith house often went like this: Morty coming back from college or coming back from some adventure with Rick, Summer watching TV and being on her phone, Jerry being an ass, and Beth doing her best to keep everyone happy. 

  
Today was a different day entirely. December 16, 2021.

“Well maybe if you hadn’t been such a dick.” Rick was on his cell phone, limbs stiff, and teeth gritted. “No. No. Stanford, y-you fucking always do t-this! I-I put up with y-you but I-I ain’t putting up with y-you anymore!” 

  
Morty had been hopping on his feet and grinning from ear to ear when he suddenly heard his Grandpa shouting. He seemed to hesitate before entering the garage. 

  
“Fuck y-you too, buddy!” Rick hung up and threw the phone on the ground. Naturally, it shattered on the floor of the garage. 

Morty’s pupils went small, and his breath hitched. “J-jeez Rick, th-that was an intense-intense conversation…” 

  
There was silence for the longest time as Rick bent down, picked up what remained of the phone, and threw it on the desk.

  
Morty rubbed his arm. “… wanna talk about how you know that guy????”

Rick turned to the young adult with a scowl. “You’re in luck, MORTY, I’m in a sharing mood,” he said, scraping a chair along the floor so he could sit in it. “It was 1970 something… closer to ‘77.” 

_____

“Common, Lee. W-we pulled one over on the old guys, now is when we have a little funnnn,” Rick said, bare-breasted, flaunting off his curves. In a fluid motion he pressed kisses to his lover’s bound chest and freshly-marked neck. “You know this is going to hurt your back in the morning.” His eyes were surprisingly soft as he glanced up at his partner.

Stan didn’t respond for some time. A drunken tune played from their radio, and finally he spoke. 

  
“They have so many problems.” Stan collected a shirt from the front of the car, a task that seemed to take forever, and held it to himself with stiff arms. 

  
It wasn’t what Rick wanted to hear or see. Rick’s soft hazel eyes turned hard and he fell back into the seat, unibrow pulled down, he groaned, and rubbed his face.

  
“He…. they….”

  
Stan’s brows were pulled down, eyes searching yet unmoving, a body trembling lightly, and Rick could tell something was bothering his soft faced companion. A tight grip on a shirt, and a small shake of the shoulders. It was a vulnerability Rick hadn’t seen. Emotionally he couldn’t stand to see Stan in such pain. Mentally he couldn’t stop from speaking his mind. 

“Lee, they were assholes. Too high, too drunk, too scared to let go, and trust each other.“ 

  
But Rick himself was too high, too drunk, and too scared to lose the man he cared about. “We won’t be like that… right?” 

  
Stan was silent.

  
“We aren’t like them.” Rick leaned forward and grabbed Stan’s face in his hands.

  
____

  
“W-wow, Rick. You-you must’ve really cared about t-this guy,” said Morty, He rubbed his hands together. 

  
Rick glared at him, leaned forward in the chair, propped his elbow on his knee, and held his hand out. 

  
“Chemical reactions, Morty,” he burped openly with a wave of his hand before returning to lean back in the chair. “Listen to the story, Morty.”

  
“R-right…” 

  
Rick gave a crooked smile. “Where was I?” 

  
Morty held his hands together and fiddled with his thumbs. “I-I don’t know, Rick. I-I don’t really care about t-this Stanford guy anymore… why don’t you tell me-tell me about Lee?” 

  
“They are siblings, Morty, I’m getting to Stanford, MORTY. Maybe I’m setting up a plot, MORTY.” Rick glared and pulled his unibrow together hunching in on himself to think. 

  
Morty fell back into his chair and shaked his knee in anticipation. 

  
“Right…. It was summer time… We had spent a long few weeks in another dimension… and Lee wanted to make a Call…”

  
____

  
“JESUS!” Stan slammed his elbow into Rick’s stomach.

  
Rick made a pained grunt and grabbed his stomach giving breathless laughter. “Worth it.” 

  
Stan rubbed his free hand against his face. The other clutched a pay phone. “No… No, Ma, I’m still here… no I haven't… I… yes I still have their phone number…” 

  
Rick soon recovered, he stood up straight, and stayed quiet. He knew how important these secret conversations were. 

  
Stan’s shoulders relaxed as he said goodbye to his mother. He let out a breath, and turned to Rick. Stan trembled.

  
Silently, Rick opened his arms to him. Stan nestled himself between them. 

  
Things were quiet.

  
They hugged for a long time before they had to get back on the road. 

  
Dark circles and red rimmed eyes became part of Stan’s normal appearance. Rick tried to reassure him He was pretty bad at comforting, and wasn’t in the best shape himself, either. 

  
Rick never knew what to do, but at the end of the day Stan looked at him with pleading eyes.

  
Rick knew Stan never wanted him to leave. 

  
_____

  
“… h-he must’ve been… real upset when y-you left him, huh?” Morty held his head up high with his brows pulled together and mouth slightly open. 

  
Rick sighed heavily, his shoulders rolling back. Then he bent forward, and his body hunching in on itself. 

  
“Let me guess… ‘Sh-shut the fuck up, MORTY, I-I’m getting to that, MORTY!’” the young adult flapped his hands about and coughed. “geez Rick…. Sorry, Rick.” 

  
Rick rubbed his face, thick unibrow pulled down.

  
“A-am I-I right?”

  
Rick didn’t acknowledge it. He just continued his story. 

  
“Stanford was someone… Lee never wanted to talk to…” 

  
____

  
Stan pulled off the road next to a payphone.

  
Rick pretended to be asleep in the car. However, a jolt of nervous energy caused him to make a dramatic exit from the car. 

  
The vehicle shook as he slammed the door shut. 

  
“Isn’t it late to be calling your mom?” Rick wrapped his arms around Stan.

  
Stan grew stiff and mumbled. Thick eyebrows pulled together and a small frown wrinkling his face.

  
“Hello?” said a crackly voice on the phone line. “who is this?” The voice had a strong presence, and sounded demanding.

  
Rick’s eyes had gone wide for a moment. 

  
Stan couldn’t speak.

  
“I know someone is there, I heard you talking. Who is this?” 

  
“How’s Gravity Falls, Stanford?” 

  
The other line went silent. Rick pressed his face to his lover’s neck.

  
“Sorry,” he mouthed silently.

  
******  
They passed a sign: Welcome to Gravity Falls.  
______

  
Rick looked at Morty. “That is how I met, Stanford. Lee and I went and worked with them for a few years.” His eyes darted around a little.

  
Morty could see the gears turning. “What-What day did you leave, Rick?”

  
Rick got up. “Shut up, Morty. No one cares.”

  
“Want to get some pancakes at Shoney’s?” 

  
“December 16th isn’t a good day for me, Morty. I’m gonna go take a shit.” 

  
Rick left the room and walked down the hall into the bathroom. He pressed his back against the door and slid down it. 

  
“Fuck him. Fuck everything.”  
_______

  
December 16th, 1980

  
Welcome to Gravity Falls. The sign looked the same as the day they had entered that town.

  
Rick had wanted to leave since day one, but now? He gripped the wheel and pressed his foot down hard on the gas. 

  
He came to the realization that he was crying when the car sped past another sign. Realized he would miss the smell of toffee peanuts. Would miss teasing someone for liking soggy, syrupy pancakes. Would miss the press of calloused feet against his legs. 

  
“We’re always…. Just a Rick and just a Stan.”


End file.
